LOS ANGELES
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A former Los Angeles police officer has filed an abuse lawsuit against fellow officers alleging false imprisonment, assault and battery and civil rights violations. Video Former officer Karim Saafir graduated from the police academy in August 2007, but instead of fighting crime, he claims he was victimized by fellow officers.
"I cried on a few occasions, trying to really figure out what'd I do, why'd you do this and why am I being treated like this?" Saafir said.
Saafir said that the incident occurred while he was serving as a probation officer at the LAPD Wilshire Division station.
Ranking officers told him his probation work was not satisfactory and he should resign or be terminated, Saafir alleges.
Saafir said then, without provocation, he was jumped from behind, slammed to the floor injuring his lip and shoulder, handcuffed for two hours and detained for eight hours.
"I said, 'This is unnecessary. Please, this is unnecessary,'" said Saafir, whose brother, aunt and uncle were LAPD officers.
"He had done nothing wrong, nothing to justify the mistreatment that he suffered," said his attorney, Carl Douglas.
Saafir and Douglas said they are not questioning the department's right to terminate a probationary officer, but they want answers for how the alleged incident was handled.
LAPD officials said they have no comment on pending litigation.
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